William "Bill" F. Lynn

William “Bill” F. Lynn, age 70, of Laura, Ohio, passed away unexpectedly on Thursday, September 10, 2026. Bill was born September 21, 1955 to John J. and Catherine (Durkat) Lynn in Marion, Ohio. He attended Marion Catholic Schools, graduating from High School in 1973. He attended University of Dayton where he double majored in Physics and Math and minored in Philosophy, with honorary membership to the Sigma Pi Sigma National Physics Society in 1977. In 1985, he returned to University of Dayton to earn his M.S. in Electro-Optics.

For the past 40 years, Bill was instrumental in developing and operating the Optical Measurements Facility (OMF) at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, a national resource for characterizing the optical properties of materials. In 2009 he brought the lab’s Air Force Contract to Innovative Scientific Solutions, Inc. (ISSI) where he served on the board for 13 years. He was the lead scientist and program manager for the OMF until 2024, when he handed over many responsibilities and continued part-time as the subject matter expert. Generous with his time and knowledge, he continued to work with OMF staff on maintaining and upgrading key capabilities, ensuring that the excellence he fostered continued beyond his tenure.

Bill married Teresa Lampert in August of 1990, after a blind date that took 3 years to organize! They welcomed daughter Ericka Marie and son Andrew Durkat. His children appreciated his guidance in dealing with life’s challenges and decisions in a calm, gentle, positive and supportive manner. As a family, they enjoyed sharing life on 4 acres that Bill had purchased as a bachelor in the early 1980’s. He had a vision!

Bill was a deep thinker who approached the world with endless curiosity and a sharp analytical mind. He displayed these characteristics in his professional and personal life. Bill quietly supported his family through their activities and his community by sharing his expertise and time. He coached and served on the board for the MURA baseball teams and you could often find him in the concession stand supporting his kid’s extracurricular activities. Bill was one you could count on.

Bill was a spectator of many sports (auto racing, Browns, OSU, and UD Football). He was also a big fan of TVs NCIS and Yellowstone which he enjoyed sharing with his family!

Missing him dearly will be his devoted wife, Teresa, daughter Ericka (fiancé Ben Koon) and son Andrew. Siblings Catherine McElwain, John E. Lynn, Therese (Robert) Porter and Richard (Judy) Lynn and brother-in-law Steve (Tricia) Lampert also remain to mourn his loss. He was “Uncle Bill” to Kisha, Ben, Aaron, Ian, Luke, Sarah, Brianna, Hayden and Seth; Great Uncle to Thalia, Juan, Charlotte, Kenzi, Audrey, Dean, Christian, Leland, Margoth, MaeLynn, and Marshall. Bill was preceded in death by his parents and brother-in-law, Michael McElwain. He will be remembered by his longtime OMF and ISSI lab team and friends.

Family will receive friends on Sunday, September 20, 2026 at 2-4pm at the Hale-Sarver Family Funeral Home, 284 N. Miami St., West Milton, Ohio. A brief Memorial Service will start at 4pm following visitation at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Milton Union Rec Association (MURA), PO Box 183, West Milton, OH 45383,  or to Miami Co. Foundation; miamicountyfoundation.org. Online memories of Bill may be left for the family at www.hale-sarver.com.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of William "Bill" F. Lynn, please visit our floral store.